Rooted by a Pig?

Once everything settled, the thousand-zhang tower vanished, slowly shrinking back to its original size and hanging quietly against Jiang Yun's chest.

Jiang Yun had already passed out during the clash. He lay quietly inside the Glowing Light Barrier, drifting aimlessly into the distance with the turbulent currents of space and time.

"Will this child be the Evil Spirit Clan's hope?" Inside the Little Tower, "Jiang Hong" appeared again. He was the sacred artifact's tower spirit, and he quietly asked the figure sitting cross-legged before him.

That figure was Jiang Ya, patriarch of the Evil Spirit Clan. His form was somewhat illusory now. He was only a soul avatar sealed within the tower, and that last strike had consumed most of his power.

He stared blankly at the small figure outside, seemingly talking to himself, or perhaps seeking confirmation. "Will you be?" Confusion filled his eyes, but as time passed, it gradually gave way to resolve. "You certainly will!"

The tower spirit remained silent. As a weapon, he lacked human emotions and did not understand the hopes Jiang Ya placed in Jiang Yun. What living being enjoyed being raised like a slave? Being trained into a machine that knew only slaughter? Being treated as a heap of cannon fodder?

It was not that Jiang Ya did not want to change the Evil Spirit Clan's circumstances. Hope was simply too faint, forcing him to compromise. Fortunately, the appearance of Jiang Yun, this unusual clansman, had shown him a glimmer of hope.

If they could live in the sunlight, who would choose to hide in a dark corner?

"I must also thank you for trusting me!"

Jiang Ya spoke to the tower spirit beside him. As an Immortal Grade Peerless Sacred Artifact, the tower had already given birth to its own artifact spirit. Apart from its master, the artifact spirit would not readily allow outsiders to leave their power within it.

The artifact spirit slowly shook his head and said expressionlessly, "Everything was for my master!"

By secretly changing Jiang Yun's route and openly defying the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor, Jiang Hong had condemned himself to certain death. He had underestimated the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor, believing that with the power he had left behind and the Little Tower, he could subdue a mere child flame. Instead, everything had nearly overturned.

Fortunately, Jiang Ya had appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him. In the end, Jiang Hong's life had taken precedence, and the tower spirit had allowed Jiang Ya to leave a portion of his power behind. Now, it seemed the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor was far more terrifying than they had imagined. This hidden safeguard had undoubtedly saved Jiang Hong's life.

Jiang Ya nodded noncommittally, then looked at the Saint Heavenly Demon Flame suppressed at the bottom of the tower and slowly said, "I will take away the soul imprint within that flame. As for the flame itself, consider it nourishment for Jiang Yun's growth, left to him by his patriarch. I leave him in your care from now on."

The tower spirit nodded slowly and said solemnly, "Rest assured. He is my master's grandson. I will protect him."

With the tower spirit's assurance, Jiang Ya said no more and walked slowly toward the bottom of the tower. Just as his figure disappeared completely, his voice drifted back. "To grow, he must temper himself between life and death. I hope that one day, I will see him on the stage of the Heavenly Sovereigns."

As his words faded, Jiang Ya vanished entirely from this level. The tower spirit pondered what he had just said.

Boom-

With a terrifying rumble, a dreadful space-time storm erupted where Jiang Yun had departed, leaving vast stretches of ravaged space behind.

Within the Outer Realm Evil Clan stood an enormous, dimly lit hall. Darkness churned inside, and black vapor rose as though it could devour all life, giving the place a gloomy, chilling air.

The words "Saint Heavenly" were inscribed above the entrance. This was the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor's residence.

Inside the vast hall, a figure sat upon an enormous black stone throne. Terrifying demonic flames surged around him, sometimes pitch-black as ink, sometimes radiating pure white light. The two shifted and flowed into each other, looking utterly uncanny.

From beneath the demonic flames, a gaze devoid of all emotion shone out. At that moment, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"I actually lost contact. Interesting!" A faint, low voice slowly emerged from the demonic flames, carrying a hint of astonishment.

The next instant, terrifying divine light shot out from the Saint Heavenly Demon Hall, prompting the many Heavenly Demon Emperors in the Demon Domain to speculate privately about who had provoked the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor.

"So it encountered an upheaval in the turbulent currents of space and time?"

Soon afterward, the divine light vanished. A quiet voice echoed through the hall, its earlier calm replaced by a chilling edge.

A long time later, the figure beneath the demonic flames slowly closed his eyes, murmuring, "Forget it! In the end, he was only an idle move on the board. If he can reach the summit, he will inevitably come before me. If he never returns, then... he amounted to no more than that!"

Within a vast, boundless mountain range stretched an endless sea of forest, its trees towering into the sky. A gentle breeze stirred their branches, sending waves of green rolling through the woods. A primeval wilderness permeated the air, filling the region with stillness.

Above it, a bright object wrapped in a ball of green light could faintly be seen plummeting from the sky at astonishing speed.

It appeared abruptly, as though emerging from space itself. The instant it fell, a crater ten thousand meters across formed, destroying the trees, vegetation, and living creatures within that area at an unimaginable speed.

Boom-

The object crashed down, throwing up vast clouds of dust as it formed the crater.

In this silent region, the sudden noise was no less than a massive earthquake. The disturbance was simply too great.

It was also this disturbance that made countless enormous creatures in the distance open their eyes.

"A treasure has appeared."

At that moment, countless terrifying figures rushed toward the area.

Meanwhile, in the area where Jiang Yun had "crash-landed," events were already unfolding before he could react.

Thud-

Thud-

Thud-

Roar-

A terrifying beast's roar rang out as an enormous "wild boar," more than five meters tall, charged over. A thick coat of black fur covered its body, marking it at a glance as a thick-skinned brute. Its fierce, eerie green eyes were brimming with greed.

It opened its great maw, revealing sharp tusks, then surged forward and charged toward the bottom of the crater.

"Fuck, I'm not some 'tender little cabbage'! You're rooting up the wrong person!" With a childish, heart-rending howl of fury, a small figure leaped more than ten meters into the air. Clutching his backside with both hands, he pumped his two short legs furiously and raced into the distance.

Roar- An enraged bellow rang out. With a thud, the enormous "wild boar" appeared, its eyes blood-red as it chased after Jiang Yun.

Not long after the boy and the boar left, terrifying beasts arrived one after another at the "crime scene." Some could not restrain themselves and began fighting fiercely, while others followed the trail in pursuit of Jiang Yun.